Cable-railway car



3 Sheeti-Sheet 2* (No Model.)

H. W. McNEILL.

CABLE RAILWAY GAR.

Patented Oct. 18, 1887.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

H. W. McNEILL.

CABLE RAILWAY OAR. No. 371,694. Patented Got. 18, 1887.

NirTEn STATES PATENT Fries.

HOBART \V. MONEILL, QSKALOOSA, IOYVA.

CABLEBRAFILWAY CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 371,694, dated October18, 1887.

Application filed March 1, 1887. Serial No. 229,354. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, HOBART \V. MONEILL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oskaloosa, in the county of Nahaska, State of Iowa, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in CableRailway Cars, ofwhich I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, formingpart of this specification.

My present invention has relation more particularly to cable-railwaycars of that system wherein the propulsion of the car is effected bymeans of a traveling cable provided throughout its length with suitablebuttons or stops adapted to engage with the arms of a sprocket-wheelprojecting from beneath the car into the slot of the cable-tube.

The object of my invention is, first, to provide an improvedconstruction of sprocketwheel for connecting the car with the movingcable and improved means for lifting said sprocket-wheel in such mannerthat its arms shall be freed from engagement with the cable and passfromoutthe slot ofthe cable tube,and, secondly, to provide improved meansfor controlling the revolution of the-sprocket-wheel from the platformsof the car when the car is to be started or its movement is to bearrested.

To this end my invention consists in the various novel features ofconstruction hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, and particularly defined in the claims at the end of thisspecification. I

Figure 1 is a view, partly in side elevation and partly in central"ertical section, of a cahie-railway car embodying my invention, thesubjacent tube with its propellingcable being shown in proper positionwith respect to the sprocket-wheel of the car. Fig. 2 is an enlargeddetail view in vertical section on line xx of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a planview of the sprocket-wheel and its connections, the body of the carbeing removed. Fig. 4 is a detail view in cross-section of thesprocket-wheel.

A designates the main body of the car, of which A and A are theplatforms, and B denotes thejournalbox frame, of usual or suitableconstruction.

Beneath the journal-box frame 13 are held, by means of the usualspring-carrying rods,

B, the side bars,C, the inner ends of which are bent into angular shape,as shown at o, and

sustain the cross-bars O, which extend between the side bars, 0, on eachside of the car. Between the cross-bars O, and suitably boltedthereto,extend thejournal-bearing bars D, and from the center of thesebars rise the journalbrackets d, the bases of which are suitably boltedto the bars.

WVithin the brackets 01 are held, in a manner permitting their movementin upward direction, the journal-boxes E, which serve to sustain theends of the axle E, whereon is placed the sprocket wheel F. The body ofthis sprocket-wheel F is provided with a series of projecting arms,f, ofsubstantially the shape illustrated in the drawings, and formed at equaldistances around the periphery of the wheel, the outer and largerportion of these arms being provided with flat faces f, adapted toengage with the correspondingly flat faces of the stops WV of thepropellingcable. My purpose in thus forming the arms f with the expandedends having llat facesf is to insure a better bearing of the ends ofthese arms against the faces of the stops W of the cable, and eacharmfoftho sprocket-wheel is provided with two flat faccsf, sothat thesprocket-wheel will be properly caught by the stops of the cable whenthe car is moving in either direction. It will be readily understood,however, that with cars designed to move in one direction only the armsof the sprocketwheel need have but one of the facesf.

It will be observed that the body of the friction-hub F is formed withthe annular spacef therein, to lessen its weight, and from this spaceand through the sprocket-wheel pass the bolts f, which serve to unitethe sprocket-wheel and friction-hub, as shown in Fig. 4. The outerportions of the axles E pass through suitable perforations in the endsof the arms G, the inner ends of these arms beingjournaled upon the barg, sustained by the brackets 9, that are bolted to and rise from thejournal-bars D of the sprocket wheel frame. To the side of thesprocketwheel F is bolted the friction-hub F, over which passes thefriction-strap F which serves to control the movement of thesprocket-wheel, as will presently appear, and on the axle E, on eitherside of the sprocl et-wheel F, are placed the lateral movement of thecar or any irregulari ties in the slot of the cable-tube. Upon the axleE is fitted the collar E, the ends of which bear respectively againstthe arm G and the coiled spring H.

Thejournal-boxes E are provided with the flanges e, to secure theiraccurate movement within thejournal-brackets d, and it will be observedthat the bearing-faces of these brackets d are struck on the segment ofa circle, the center of which is thebar g,whereby the arms G arecarried, the purpose in thus forming the journal-brackets being to allowthe journal-boxes to rise freely in vertical direction when thesprocket-wheel is to be lifted from out the slot of the cable-tube, aswill be hereinafter set forth; and it will be observed that the arms G,swinging upon the bar gas acenter, can carry thejournal-boxes and theparts sustained thereby in upward direction, such boxes being guidedduring this movement by the grooved faces of the journal-brackets.

To the bar 9 or other suitable fixed point is attached, by means of thechain c, one'end of the friction-strap F, whiehpasses around thefriction-hub F, the opposite end of this strap being connected toasuitable chaimi, that'passes beneath the guide-pulley K, that-isjournaled uponthe cross-bar 7c and abovethe guide-pulley K,sustained bythebracket 7c,and is fastened to the main lever L, that is pivotallysustained within thebracket Z, depending from one of the sills of thecar-frame. To the outer ends of the leverLare connected, respectively,the rods M and N, which lead to the winding-posts at the oppositeends ofthe car, the outer ends of these rods M. and N being provided withsuitable chains, n, which pass around the lower end of the winding-post.The lower portions of the winding-posts O are also provided with theusual rods and chains, 1? and P, that connect with cross-levers of usualconstruction, which are united with the brake-bcamsby the chains 19, andserve to set the brake-shoes against the tread of the car-wheels.

It will be seen that the chains n are wound upon the ends ofthewinding-posts O in reverse direction to the chains P, the purpose ofthis arrangement being to cause the brake shoes of the car to be setwhen the car is discon-' nected from the running cable and to cause thebrake-shoes to be thrown off the wheels when the car is to be moved bythe cable.

It will be seen from the construction as thus far defined that if eitherof the windingposts 0 is turned in such manner as to tighten thefrictionstrap F against the surface of the friction-hub F the movementof the sprocketwheel F would be gradually arrested and the arms of thesprocket-wheel will be caught by the buttons W upon theconstantly-traveling cable \V in such manner as to gradually move thecar forward, and at the same time the chains 1? will be unwound,so as topermit the brake-shoes to swing from off'the running wheels. Byconnecting the friction-strap with the-winding-pos'ts at the oppositeends of the car through the medium of the cross-lever L enabled toreadily arrest the movement (i e sprocket wheel from either platform oft ll?) Cam. v r

In t'iderto permit the sprocket-wheel to be lifted fromthe cable-tube,either for the purpose of allowingthis wheel to pass over obstructionsin 'the--1 oadway such as crosstracks orthe like-or when for any reasonthe caris to be drawn by horses, I have provided the improved n1echanismor lifting the sprocket-wheel from out the slotiof the cabletube. Uponthe cross-bang is held one end of the lifting-arm R, the opposite end ofsuch arm passing beneath the axle E, and being slightly upturned andconnected by asuitable pivot pin or bolt to the link R, which in turn ispivotally connected to the inner ends of the levers S and S, extendingfrom the center of the car to a point beneath its platforms. The leversS and S are pivoted about their centers to the plates s,depending fromthe body of the car, and the outer ends of these levers are providedeach with a step-rod, T, the upper enlarged portion, t, of which extendsin convenient position to be depressed by the foot of the driver. Ineach of the step-rods T are formed the upper and lower notches, t and twith which engage the pawls V, that serve to sustain the step-rods inelevated or depressed condition.

From the foregoing construction it will be seen that when it is desiredto lift the sprocketwheel in order to permit such wheel to pass over anobstruction, or for any other purpose, it is only necessary for thedriver to depress the step-rod T or T until this rod is brought in suchposition that the pawl V can engage with its upper notch, 15, which willserve to hold the step-rod depressed and the sprocketwheel in elevatedposition.

By my improved mechanism the sprocketwheel can be readily lifted by thedriver from his position on the platform of the car, and

all necessity for providing the car-floor with a trap-door'for thispurpose is avoided.- It will be seen that, by extending the lifting-armbeneath the axle of the sprocket-wheel this arm is allowed a freedom ofmovement to compensate for the vertical movement of the carbody upon itssprings; hence I am enabled to provide the sprocket-wheel with a meansfor lifting the same, which, while connected with the body of the car,does not impart the movement of the car in anywise to the sprocketwheel.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a cable-railway car, the combination,

with a vertically-movable sprocket-wheel and its friction-drum locatedbetween the axles of the car, of a friction-strap for said drum, across-lever, L, aflexible connection extending from one end of saidstrap to said cross-lever, suitable guides for said flexible connection,and suitable connections extending from said cross-lever to the ends ofthe car, substantially as described.

2. In a cable-railway car, a sprocket-Wheel having arms f, provided withexpanded ends [0 f, having one or more fiat faces adapted to inglifting-arm for said sprocket-wheel, and suitable connections extendingfrom said arm to the platforms of the car, substantially as described.

6. In a cable-railway car, the combination, with the sprocket-Wheel andits axle, of a piv- Woted arm or arms connected with said axle,

and curved journal-bearing brackets for such axle, substantially asdescribed.

7. In a cable-railway car, the combination, with the sprocket-wheel andits axle, of coiled springs mounted upon said axle at the side of thesprocket-wheel, substantially as described.

8. In a cable railway car, the combination, with the sprocket-wheel andits axle, of lifting mechanism for said sprocket wheel,comprising apivoted arm extending beneath the axle and one or more pivoted levers towhich said swinging arm is connected, said pivoted levers extending tothe end or ends of the car, substantially as described.

HOBART W. MGNEILL.

Witnesses:

GEO. P. FISHER, Jr., WV. ROssITER.

